anyone, so Hisham ibn Ismaʿil, the deputy governor of Madinah, ordered that he be given sixty lashes, dressed him in coarse haircloth (1), mounted him on a camel, and paraded him through the city. He then instructed that he be taken to Thaniyat Dhubab—the rise where people were customarily crucified and executed (2). When they reached the place, they brought him back to Madinah and consigned him to prison. He said to them, “By Allah, had I known you were not going to kill me, I would never have worn these clothes.”

Hisham ibn Ismaʿil al-Makhzumi then wrote to ʿAbd al-Malik, informing him of Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib’s refusal in the matter. ʿAbd al-Malik replied, rebuking him for what he had done, ordering Saʿid’s release, and saying, “Saʿid had a greater claim upon you for the bond of kinship than what you did to him. We know that Saʿid harbors no spirit of schism or rebellion.” It is also related that he wrote: “He must either give the bayʿah; if he will not, cut off his head or set him free.”

Al-Waqidi relates that when the call to pledge allegiance to Ibn al-Zubayr reached Madinah (3), Saʿid—may Allah have mercy on him—declined to do so. The city’s deputy at that time, Jabir ibn al-Aswad ibn ʿAwf, flogged him with sixty lashes as well and imprisoned him; Allah knows best (4).

Abu Mikhnaf, Abu Maʿshar, and al-Waqidi (5) said: In that same year the pilgrims were led by Hisham ibn Ismaʿil al-Makhzumi, the deputy of Madinah, while al-Hajjaj held complete authority over Iraq and the entire East. Our teacher, the hadith master al-Dhahabi (6), said: [Among those who died in this year was] Aban ibn ʿUthman (7) ibn ʿAffan, the governor of Madinah; he was one of the ten jurists of the city, as stated by Yahya al-Qattan.

Muhammad ibn Saʿd (8) said: He was reliable; he was hard of hearing, suffered from extensive vitiligo, and was stricken with paralysis before he died.

ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmir ibn Rabiʿah (9).